Hiker Finds Body of Missing Nuclear Facility Worker in New Mexico Forest

A hiker discovered the body of a missing nuclear laboratory employee, Melissa Casias, in a remote New Mexico forest, police officials announced in an update.

New Mexico State Police, in a Facebook post on May 28, said that the hiker found human remains in the McGaffey Ridge area of Carson National Forest, along with a handgun.

The New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator positively identified the remains as those of 54-year-old Casias, of Taos, who worked as an administrative assistant at Los Alamos National Laboratory, a key U.S. nuclear research facility in northern New Mexico.

The cause and manner of death have not yet been determined, authorities added. The investigation remains active.

Casias was reported missing on June 25, 2025, after she failed to arrive at work and did not return home following a visit to her daughter’s work in the Taos area. Family members found her purse, ID, and cellphones left behind at home, prompting a missing persons search.

In a statement posted on the “Find Melissa Mondragon Casias” Facebook page, the family confirmed the identification and said her body was found in a location that was previously searched.

“We confirm that the remains found in Rio Chiquito are Melissa. There will be more information to come but what we can tell you now is she was located in an area previously searched. This is a lot to process, our hearts are heavy and we fully intend to continue to pursue answers for justice,” they wrote.

The New Mexico State Police Investigations Bureau extended its sympathy.

“The New Mexico State Police extend their deepest condolences to the Casias and Mondragon families during this difficult time,” the agency wrote in its release.

Casias and her husband both worked at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, and she had dropped him off at work before heading to her daughter’s workplace to visit her, according to family accounts.

Troubling Cases

Casias is one of the 11 mysteriously missing or dead persons who had potential ties to U.S. nuclear secrets or rocket technology.

In April, the House Oversight Committee sent letters to multiple agencies seeking briefings on the disappearances and deaths. The committee highlighted at least 10 such cases and raised alarms about potential risks.

“If the reports are accurate, these deaths and disappearances may represent a grave threat to U.S. national security,” the committee wrote in a letter to FBI Director Kash Patel, Energy Secretary Chris Wright, War Secretary Pete Hegseth, and NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, announcing its probe into the mysterious disappearances.

The White House also said it would review the cases.

“In light of the recent and legitimate questions about these troubling cases, and President Donald Trump’s commitment to the truth, the White House is actively working with all relevant agencies and the FBI to holistically review all of the cases together and identify any potential commonalities that may exist,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote in a post on X on April 17.

The FBI is leading federal efforts to investigate the potential connections, coming days after President Donald Trump expressed alarm.

“The FBI is spearheading the effort to look for connections into the missing and deceased scientists. We are working with the Department of Energy, Department of War, and with our state and local law enforcement partners to find answers,” an FBI spokesperson told The Epoch Times in an emailed statement on April 21.

Reports of the scientists dying or going missing, Trump told reporters on April 16, should be considered serious because “some of them were very important people.” He added that he hopes they are just “random” occurrences.

Jack Phillips contributed to this report